Canada



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J. A. MATHEWS & H. T. SOURRY. SUBMARINE MINING MACHINE FOB. DRBDGING ANDSBPARATING THE PRECIOUS METALS.

(No Mo'dei.)

No. 436,181. I 9,1890.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. MATHEWS & HQT/ SOURRY. SUBMARINE MINING MACHINE FOR DREDGING ANDSBPARATING THE PRECIOUS METALS.

No. 436,181. Patented Sept. 9. 1890.

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WITNESSES. INVENTO/i'. C 057m JZ mews v W flz'wwz .Z'Bcuma ATTORNEYSUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MATHEWVS AND HIRAM THOMAS SCURRY, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISHCOLUMBIA, CANADA. r 3

SUBMARINE MINING-MACHINE FOR DREDGIVNG AND SEPARATING THE PREClOUSMETALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 436,181, dated September9, 1890. Application filed June 17, 1889. Serial No. 314,681. (Nomodel.) Patented in Canada May 27, 1889. No. 31,445.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN ABRAM MATHEWS and HIRAM THOMAS SCURRY, bothsubjects of the Queen of Great Britain, and residing in the city ofVancouver, in the Province of British Columbia and Dominion of Canada,have invented a newand useful Improvement in Submarine Mining-Machinesfor Dredging and Separating the Precious Metals, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for effectuallyand economically dredging the beds of rivers having deposits of theprecious metals. The invention relates particularly to an apparatusdesigned to be attached to a boat, scow, or raft, which apparatusembraces a verticallyadjustable dredging mechanism worked by steam-powerand adapted to operate in water of various depths for excavating andelevating gravel, &c., in connection with an ore-washer and separatorarranged in connection with the said dredging apparatus.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction of several parts andtheir novel combination and arrangement, such as shown in theaccompanying drawings, and hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideview of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the separating-flume.Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the belt with brush attached.Fig. 4 is a detail view.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a boat, raft, or ponton, uponwhich is placed an engine B, adapted to drive the machine.

- C indicates the dredging apparatus, which travels along the elevatedtrack 0, bent upon the boat or ponton. The dredging apparatus consistsof the side beam-s b, the upper roller-shaft c, and the lowerroller-shaft c and around the said roller-shaft is passed the endlessbelt D, to which are secured the dredging-buckets D and the brushes E.The belt is driven by the wheel 0 upon the shaft 0', said wheel beingconnected with the drivetion.

wheel of the "engine by a belt 0 A discharge-chute F is arrangeddirectly beneath 5o the upper end of the belt, which receives thedredged matter and conducts it to a scow or barge adapted to receivesuch deposits.

G indicates a crane traveling upon the track forward of the shaft 0',said crane being connected with the lower end of the beams b by means ofrod or chain g, and said crane is employed for raising and lowering saidbeam I when raising bowlders from the river-bed, and for various otherpurposes.

A submerged iron fiume and separator H is arranged to the rear ofelevator and beneath the same, said flume resting on the bed of theriver and being connected with the boat or ponton by means of the cablesI, by which it is raised and lowered when desired. The flumc is providedat its forward end with a side wing or wings h, and along its length isprovided with a series of transverse Vertical partitions h and obliquepartitions 7L2, thus forming a series of pockets or riffles adapted toreceive and retain the precious metals. The object of the flume is toretain the precious metals which may be stirred up by the buckets whenthe elevator is running, and when bed-rock or hard pan is reached thebuckets are revolved and the wire brushes placed on the belt and theengine reversed. The brushes thus scratch up the bedrock or hard pan andsweep it to the rear into the flume. The current of the river alsoassists in this operation. As soon as the flume is filled it is raisedto the surface of the water and there emptied, when it is again loweredand moved into the most advantageous posi- The dredging is then againresumed and continues as before.

The dredging apparatus may be arranged between two floats or alongside asingle float, or it may pass through the bottom of the 0 same, asdesired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is' 1. In anapparatus for dredging and separating gold, the combination, with afloat, of a traveling crane, endless belt carrying wire brushes,andaflurne located beneaththe said improved snbaqueous miner signed byns :0 belt and resting on the bed of the river, subin thepresence of thebelow-subscribed wltstantially as shown and described. nesses.

2. The combination with the float, of the r JOHN A. MAFHEWS.

5 dred in apparatus C, the track a, travehn y w 1 1' Gran: G? and theflume and separator H, con HIRAM l HOMAS SOURRX structed and arrangedsubstantially as shown WVitnesses: and described. JOHN BOULTBEE,

The foregoing specification of our new and B. C. KENWAY.

